Blevins at the Empire State Building on April 20, 2022 in New York City. Blevins urged his fans to take stock of their own health and see his diagnosis ‘as a PSA to get skin checkups’. — Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust/TNS
Popular Twitch streamer and gamer Ninja says he has been diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
The 32-year-old Internet star – whose birth name is Tyler Blevins – offered his millions of X (formerly Twitter) followers a glimpse of his health, detailing a recent checkup for a mole on his foot. “Alright I'm still in a bit of shock but want to keep you all updated,” he tweeted Tuesday afternoon. He shared the same message to his Instagram story.
“There was a mole on the bottom of my foot that (a dermatologist) wanted to remove just to be careful,” he added. “It came back as melanoma, but they are optimistic that we caught it in the early stages.”
After the initial diagnosis, Blevins said, doctors biopsied another “dark spot” that had appeared near the mole on his foot, and removed “a larger area around the melanoma”. He said he hopes that when reviewing test results, his dermatologists will “see clear non-melanoma edges”, which would confirm that they had extracted all the cancerous skin cells.
Grateful and hopeful that his dermatologists caught the cancer early, Blevins urged his fans to take stock of their own health and see his diagnosis “as a PSA to get skin checkups”.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that occurs when pigment-producing skin cells called melanocytes “start to grow out of control”, according to the American Cancer Society. Less common than other skin cancers, melanoma can spread to other body parts if it isn't discovered and treated in its early stages.
The Mayo Clinic says melanoma typically first appears on skin that often receives sun exposure – including the arms, back, face and legs – but can also appear on body parts that aren't as exposed.
After sharing his diagnosis, Blevins – who earned a following for streaming the battle royale video game Fortnite on Twitch – received support from his online community including fellow creators Daithi De Nogla, SypherPK and Jake Lucky.
“Hoping for the best. Lots of love to (Blevins’ wife) Jess for being proactive as well,” wrote SypherPK, whose real name is Ali Hassan.
“So thankful you caught this early,” YouTube commented. “Sending lots of love and healing your way, Tyler.” – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
